The governor also used his public appearance to take a shot at President Donald Trump over his recent comments that the federal government successfully helped Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. | AP Photo

Cuomo says anti-Nixon flyer was 'a mistake' as New Yorkers vote

NEW CASTLE — Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a state Democratic party mailer linking primary opponent Cynthia Nixon to anti-Semitism was a "mistake" Thursday, as voters headed to the polls to decide whether New York would be the site of the latest progressive revolt of 2018.

The issue of the flyer, which appeared to target Orthodox Jews, has dominated the final days of the New York primary, with Cuomo trying to avoid the media even as his allies take heart in poll numbers showing him with a comfortable lead over the former "Sex and the City" actor. Polls close at 9 p.m. this evening.

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“The mailer controversy — Israel is an important issue,” Cuomo said after he cast a ballot for himself at the Mount Kisco Presbyterian Church Thursday morning. “And there’s strong support and strong opinions about Israel. The mailer was a mistake; I said that as soon as it came to light and as soon as I saw it. The tone was not appropriate. I ran this campaign fully positive. I never said a negative word about my opponent, I didn’t do that, I don’t believe in it, I didn’t do the name-calling. And the tone of that mailer was wrong."

“It was not proofread, and that was a mistake that the Democratic Party made, and there’s no doubt about that," he added.

The New York Post reported Wednesday evening that the mailers had been approved by long-time gubernatorial confidante Larry Schwartz, who says he did not see the side of the mailer with the comments about Israel.

Cuomo was also asked if he plans to stay on the general election ballot should he lose Thursday’s Democratic primary. The governor has already won the nominations of the Independence and Women’s Equality parties and would need to move out of the state or quickly launch a campaign for another office if he wanted to avoid siphoning votes from hypothetical Democratic nominee Cynthia Nixon.

“No, I’m going to become a journalist and then just second-guess everybody else, because that’s a lot easier, and say 'why’d you do this, why’d you do that,'” Cuomo answered.

Cuomo remained on the Liberal Party’s line after he lost the 2002 gubernatorial primary to Carl McCall.

The governor also used his public appearance to take a shot at President Donald Trump over his recent comments that the federal government successfully helped Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Cuomo has recently made noise about taking on the issue.

“[T]his president has the audacity to stand up and say it was a success?” Cuomo said. “If 3,000 people losing their lives is a success, I don’t want to know what he considers a failure. And frankly, I think what they did in Puerto Rico is emblematic of their narrow-minded, bigoted approach. … They’re American citizens, how could you not provide them with everything that this country could do?”